The Battle through Time
by closetIYfan
Summary: As Inuyasha and Kagome begin their new relationship, a new evil arises, threatening not only their worlds, but reality itself. Recommended Reading: “Love and Destiny”
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 7 The Battle through Time (Sequel to Love and Destiny)

_As Inuyasha and Kagome begin their new relationship, a new evil arises, threatening not only their worlds, but reality itself. Recommended Reading: "Love and Destiny"_

It had been a long, emotionally-draining day, but Kagome could not seem to fall asleep. She lay in bed in her pajamas, eyes wide open staring at the ceiling. Too much had happened; the day's events still were unreal to her.

"It's no use," she thought to herself. She swiftly hopped out of bed and made her way towards the kitchen, only to run into Inuyasha. He was surprised to see her awake. Walking through the hallway, he had been thinking about her, remembering their earlier moment, remembering the kiss. He blushed slightly out of embarrassment as if Kagome had seen his thoughts.

"Hey, what are you doin' up Kagome?" he managed to ask as he did his best to act nonchalant.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied with a gentle smile. "I see you're looking for a midnight snack. Here, I'll make some Ramen for you," she added sweetly while leading him towards the kitchen.

Everything was still so dreamlike for both of them. It was as if time itself had stopped, and reality had been reversed. Kagome glanced at Inuyasha sitting at the kitchen table as she prepared his snack. Could he have really spoken those words to her? In the past, whenever they had shared a moment, whenever Inuyasha had conveyed any of his feelings to her, Kagome had always later doubted that it had ever happened. Yet this instance was unique; her heart was still pounding from the embrace they had shared. Suddenly noticing that she had been staring, Kagome attempted to break the silence.

"So, how did you manage to get to this era anyway?" she asked innocently as she placed the ramen in front of him.

Inuyasha leaned back in his chair, arms folded behind his head, as he answered. "It's kind of a long story, but we ended up meeting this 'time priestess.'" She was pretty strange. It was as if she could see into the future or somethin'. Anyway, she showed me how to open a portal to this time."

In reflection, Inuyasha realized how strange those events had been, and how easily he had given the time priestess his trust. At the time he was far too preoccupied with seeing Kagome. His decision had been rather hasty and actually rather careless. In his memory, the priestess's worlds replayed.

"Close your eyes, Inuyasha. Now, concentrate all of your energy to the front of you. Separate yourself from this world. You should soon be able to see a bright light."

The group stood outside of the woman's hut watching Inuyasha from the back. He stood motionless, focusing as hard as he could. He finally could see a turquoise light in his mind's eye.

"Yeah, I see it," he answered.

"Now, slowly open your eyes," the priestess directed.

As Inuyasha obeyed the woman's command, a slit of turquoise light began to appear out of no where. The rest of the group stood back in amazement.

"Now, step forward into the portal, and you'll end up in Kagome's time," said the woman brightly. "Simple as that."

"Got it," replied Inuyasha.

Before he began to depart, Inuyasha turned to say goodbye to his friends. They had been through so much together. He was grateful for their support, for their friendship. Although he wouldn't admit it, he was really going to miss them.

The light behind him reflected off of his hair, giving him an almost angelic appearance as he stood near the midway of two worlds.

"Hey. If I never see you guys again, thanks – for everything. I mean that," Inuyasha stated with a slight smile.

Sango, Miroku, and Shippo smiled in return. He didn't have to continue. Everyone knew what he was trying to say.

"Bye Inuyasha!" screamed Shippo as he fought to hold his tears back."

"You take care of everyone Shippo. I'm countin' on you," answered Inuyasha as he turned towards the portal. "And you two behave yourselves, got it?"

Miroku and Sango smiled and nodded in reply, as Inuyasha walked through the portal and entered the modern world.

"This time priestess seemed to know a lot about everything," said Kagome, suddenly interrupting his flashback. "It's really strange how she knew about us, and how to open a time portal."

"Yeah. But she's not all powerful or anything," replied Inuyasha as he began to ravenously eat his ramen. "She told me I might not even be able to get back to the Feudal Era."

"What?" exclaimed Kagome standing up and slamming her fists on the table. "You mean you came here not knowing if you could get back?" Kagome was shocked. Inuyasha had sacrificed so much to see her again. She felt the tears welling once more.

Seeing that she was about to cry, Inuyasha quickly blurted out one of his harsh comments. "I didn't come all the way here to see you cry! Ya think you'd have run out of tears by now!" Inuyasha yelled in his usual way.

To Inuyasha's surprise, Kagome didn't cry, but rather smiled and gently sat back down. His annoyance with her had soothed her tears.

"Now I'm sure this is real," she thought to herself.

**Back in Feudal Era**

"I wonder how they're doing," Sango thought aloud. The gang had returned to Kaede's hut to spend the night. They quietly sat in a circle towards the center of the room; none of them could sleep.

"I'm sure they're fine," replied Miroku reassuringly, slipping his hand over hers.

Sango began to blush, until she noticed that Miroku's hand had shifted over to her butt. Her face glowed with anger as she proceeded to knock Miroku over the head with her hiraikotsu.

"Do you ever quit!"

"Where do you think the time priestess went to?" asked Shippo, trying to ignore the drama beside him. "She just seemed to disappear after Inuyasha walked through the portal."

"She was always a very strange character," replied Kaede.

"Strange you say, I'm not the one dressed like a pirate," called an old voice.

"It's her!" exclaimed Miroku, Sango, and Shippo in unison. A pink light flew into the room and landed in front of the group, suddenly materializing into the woman they had seen before.

"I don't think I ever properly introduced myself," she said brightly. "My name is Tajira. And I am a keeper of time."

"What exactly does that mean Lady Tajira?" asked Miroku.

"It means that I have been granted the ability to travel through time as I please, and that I am able to see certain events of the future. In return for these powers, I had to give up my physical existence. I am a spirit that must roam this world for eternity."

"I see," replied Miroku. "So that is how she is able to disappear and reappear so easily. She is a spirit," Miroku thought to himself.

"But why are you telling us this?" asked Sango curiously.

"Because there's trouble up ahead, and you'll need to know a little about what you're up against for you to have any chance of overcoming it," replied Tajira matter-of-factly as she sat down in the middle of their circle. "A terrible evil is coming, one that threatens not only this world, but also reality itself."

The group looked on in amazement as Tajira's ominous words continued. It was going to be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 8

**Back in Modern Era. (One day has passed.)**

"Good morning Mom! Good morning Souta!" said Kagome cheerfully as she entered the kitchen. "Where's Inuyasha?"

"He's helping your grandfather move some things in the shrine," replied her mother as she washed the dishes. "They shouldn't be too long."

Kagome stepped outside into the crisp morning air. Despite her lack of sleep she felt alive and vibrant. Her feet barely seemed to touch the ground as she pranced out to the yard. As she made her way towards the shrine, the grand tree that had started it all suddenly caught her eye.

"You're quite an amazing tree, you know that?" Kagome said softly as she stopped to admire it.

"Kagome," called a voice. It seemed to be coming from the tree itself. A very much startled Kagome jumped back in surprise.

"Huh! Am I crazy or did this tree just talk to me? I guess you're more amazing than I thought."

"Kagome, I must speak with you." A blue light began to emanate from the trunk, and come out towards Kagome, forcing her to shield her eyes.

"Kikyo?" uttered a confused and slightly frightened Kagome as she turned back towards the tree.

"Yes. Kagome, I want to offer my thanks to you. Because of your kindness, I was able to calm my spirit and finally find peace. I will be forever grateful for that." Her words were bewildering to Kagome. Could this really be Kikyo? The image was a perfect representation, her voice exactly the same, but her words and tone were strange. Kikyo had never spoken so warmly to her before.

"Uh…you're…welcome," replied Kagome, her voice slightly shaking. She still stood in a defensive stance, one foot behind the other, ready to escape if need be.

"But I have also come here to warn you," Kikyo stated in a more serious tone.

"Warn me? Of what?" asked Kagome with concern.

"There is a great evil presence coming that threatens all existence. You must be on your guard. I have a feeling that you and Inuyasha may be the only ones who can stop it."

"But why?"

"Because you and he are one of few people that can pass through time."

**Back in Feudal Era.**

The group continued their conversation with Tajira. No one had slept; the news was far too worrisome. Tajira was becomingly increasingly annoyed with their interrogation, her brow slightly twitching with anxiety. She hated to be stuck in one place for such an extended period of time.

"So not everyone can travel through time as Inuyasha and Kagome do?" asked Miroku.

"Correct. Those who have this ability are born with it. However, most can only travel to certain periods. Only the keeper of time can travel as he or she pleases."

"Can ye tell us anymore about this evil?" asked Kaede.

"I'm afraid I've told you all I know about him," sighed Tajira. He has the time travel gift, and he plans to use it to alter reality to his liking. To be perfectly honest, your chances of surviving this seem pretty slim," Tajira remarked coolly. "You people never run out of questions though, do you?"

"Not when it concerns the future of everyone's lives!" screamed Shippo.

"Hmm. Shippo, you're starting to sound a little like Inuyasha," smirked Miroku.

"Uhhh. That can't be a good thing," remarked Shippo sarcastically as he sat back down.

"Hey, where did Lady Tajira go to?" asked Sango.

Everyone looked about the hut. Tajira had once again disappeared.

**Back in Modern Era **

"So, what do you think our chances are?"

Inuyasha and Kagome stood in Kagome's yard side by side, looking straight ahead into space. Both understood the implications; if they could not open the portal, then they could never again return to the Feudal era, and never again see their friends.

"I don't know. I guess there's only one way to find out," replied Inuyasha, grasping Kagome's hand.

Kagome smiled and nodded in reply. Both closed their eyes, and then slowly opened them in unison as a great turquoise light appeared in front of them.

**Back in Feudal Era**

With Tajira gone, the group remained in Kaede's hut, sitting in silence. Each was lost in his or her own thoughts.

"If Inuyasha and Kagome should make it back here, we'll have to warn them," said Sango partly to herself.

"Don't bother, we already know," called a familiar voice.

"Kagome! Inuyasha! You're back!" screamed a delighted Shippo. "We really missed you!"

"We missed you too Shippo," replied Kagome giving him a big hug.

"We're so glad you both are back," added Sango as Miroku nodded in accord.

"Well, now that we're all settled in here, what do we plan on doin' about this time travel guy?" asked Inuyasha interrupting the reunion. He could only stand so much sappiness.

"I'm not sure we can do much of anything right now," replied Miroku seriously. "We don't even know who this person is. We have no leads. All we can do is be on our guard."

"I agree with Miroku, we just have to wait," added Kagome.

The day seemed to have flown by in an instant. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo had all fallen asleep in Kaede's hut. Inuyasha had removed himself from the group. He sat leaning against a tree near the edge of a small cliff with his arms crossed, deep in thought.

"I hate waitin' around for trouble to come," he hissed to himself. "And I hate that I don't even know who this enemy is."

"Hey," said Kagome softly. "Am I bothering you?" Inuyasha looked up to see Kagome standing over him. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard her coming.

"No, of course not," replied Inuyasha. "I was just thinkin' about everything we found out today." His gaze once again focused straight in front of him. A slight cool breeze blew his silver hair away from his face, revealing a concerned expression.

Kagome stood still, watching him for a moment. She couldn't stand seeing him so worried. She stared down at the ground in thought, searching for comforting words.

"Inuyasha, I know it's hard, but you just can't worry about things you have no control over. It will only make you crazy," Kagome said gently.

"Hmph. Yeah, I know," answered Inuyasha sarcastically as he pulled Kagome down beside him. She was happy to be in his arms again. She rested her head on his chest as his arms surrounded her. They sat together in silence, each reveling in the warmth of the embrace.

"Kagome." Inuyasha's voice had softened. His feelings were more apparent in his tone.

"Yes."

"I don't know if I ever told you, but…you smell really nice."

"You told me that once before, but I wasn't sure if you meant it or not. I thought it might have been the poison talking," replied Kagome kiddingly as she lifted her head to smile at him.

Their eyes met as they moved into another, more passionate kiss. Inuyasha ran his fingers through Kagome's hair. He began to gently lower her to the grassy floor.

"What are you guys doing?" squeaked a familiar little voice.

"Huh!" replied Inuyasha and Kagome in unison. As soon as they realized Shippo was there, both quickly lifted themselves off the ground, brushing the dirt off of their clothes.

"I heard some weird noises coming from over here."

"Ummmm…we were uh…" babbled Inuyasha. He was blushing profusely and nervously scratching his head.

"Inuyasha was walking in his sleep, and…uh…when I tried to stop him, he…we…fell. Hehe," replied an equally embarrassed Kagome.

"Wow that was a terrible story. He's never going to buy that," Kagome thought to herself.

"Oh, okay. Should have known all that noise was due to Inuyasha's stupidity," remarked Shippo lifting a paw as he turned to leave.

"What! Who are you callin' stupid ya stupid little weasel!" yelled Inuyasha with his fist in the air ready to strike.

"Alright! Alright!" interrupted Kagome, stepping in between them. "We're all tired. Let's just get some sleep."

After Shippo had left, Inuyasha and Kagome settled themselves. Kagome lay on Inuyasha's chest once again, as both of them began to drift off to sleep.

"I can't believe what almost happened," Kagome thought as her face reddened once again. "But I'm…happy. I'm happy it almost happened with him."


	3. Chapter 3

Ch.9

It was a sunny, yet lazy morning. Inuyasha and Kagome were still fast asleep after sunrise, as was Shippo and Kirara.

When Miroku awoke, he noticed that Sango had left Kaede's hut. He sneaked past a sleeping Shippo and Kirara, and outside into the morning air. As he walked he noticed Sango sitting on a rock veiled behind several trees. Her head was down, her face hidden.

"Sango, are you feeling alright?" asked Miroku comfortingly as he approached from behind.

"Oh, Miroku, I didn't know you were here," replied Sango somewhat startled. "I'm fine. I just needed time to think about things." Sango closed her eyes and sighed slightly. She had spent the entire morning sitting alone, regretting the past.

"You don't have to hide your sorrows, Sango."

Sango lifted her face to meet Miroku's. His words surprised her. The way Miroku could read her feelings startled her sometimes. She couldn't hide from him. He was always there for her when she was in pain.

"It's understandable," said Miroku as he sat beside Sango. "Losing Kohaku has caused you terrible pain. It's okay to show that. Mourning his death is not a sign of weakness."

Miroku's words triggered her long held-back tears. She began to sob as Miroku moved to embrace her.

"Why? Why did he have to do that? Why couldn't I save him? I promised! I promised I would protect him!" Sango cried. Her tears were drenching Miroku's clothes.

It pained Miroku to see Sango in this state. She had suffered so much in the past year, losing her family and her entire village. He searched for words to comfort her.

"Your brother is really a hero. He sacrificed himself to save us all. Naraku was greatly weakened by Kohaku's purified shard. If he hadn't allowed himself to be absorbed by Naraku, we would have never been able to defeat him. What he did, he did out of love for you," said Miroku sweetly.

"I…should be proud of him. It's just that…" Sango buried her face further in Miroku's robes. Her words were barely audible between her sobs.

"I know," answered Miroku. "I know." He held Sango close, resting his head on hers. "You are my fiancé, Sango. Your pains are mine. You should never feel like you are burdening me with your sorrows. I am always here for you. Always."

**Later**

It was early afternoon, and the Inuyasha gang was ready to depart from Kaede's hut. They had stayed there long enough.

"Thank you for allowing us to stay here for so long, Lady Kaede," said Sango politely.

"It was no trouble. Feel free to come back here any time ye please," answered Kaede smiling.

After parting ways with Kaede, the group set off traveling as they always would. Kagome walked alongside Inuyasha in the front, Miroku and Sango followed behind with Shippo on Miroku's shoulder.

"Everything seems back to normal," thought Kagome as she glanced back and to the side.

"What's your problem?" asked Inuyasha noticing that she was looking at him.

"Oh, nothing," replied Kagome coolly. "Maybe too much back to normal," she thought.

The group had been walking no longer than a few minutes when a tornado of dust suddenly entered into their path. Inuyasha immediately recognized the scent.

"It's Koga," said Shippo.

Koga immediately made his way towards Kagome, only to be blocked by an angry Inuyasha. His eyes were bulging and his ears were twitching uncontrollably.

"Move out of the way, mutt. I have to talk with Kagome," said Koga in his usual tone. He lifted an arm to push Inuyasha to the side. Inuyasha quickly slapped it back.

"Anything you have to say to her, you can say to me!" Inuyasha was glaring into Koga's face, his fist in the air ready to strike.

"What the heck's gotten into you, dog breath? You're more riled up then usual," replied Koga.

"What the heck's wrong with you, wolf? Tryin' to move in on Kagome when she obviously has no interest!"

Recognizing the familiar pattern of childish insults and comebacks, Kagome quickly interrupted.

"Sit!"

Inuyasha hit the ground, and was none too pleased about it, but before he could yell at Kagome, she quickly reminded Koga of what he had came to tell her.

"Oh yeah. Well, what I was going to tell you before I was rudely interrupted, was that I heard some strange noises last night. It almost sounded like there was a battle goin' on somewhere. But that wasn't the strange part. The strange part was that the voices coming from the battle sounded like you and muttface."

"What?" asked Kagome. "But that's impossible."

"I know. I went looking for you guys but I couldn't find you. You were no where in sight. I couldn't pick up any scent of you either. I finally tracked your scent this afternoon."

"You were probably just hearin' things," smirked Inuyasha as he picked himself up off of the ground.

"Hmph. Think what you want, mutt, but I could have sworn I heard you and Kagome." Before Inuyasha could catch him, Koga clasped Kagome's hands. "I have to get goin', but don't you worry, Kagome. I'll come back and visit you soon."

With those words, Koga left as quickly as he had come. The dust from his tracks blew directly into Inuyasha. He shook the dirt off of his clothes like a dog while murmuring more insults under his breath.

"That's quite strange," remarked Miroku after Koga had left.

"You know, I think I might have heard the same thing last night," said Shippo thoughtfully. "The sounds I heard did sound like they were coming from a battle."

"So, it wasn't Kagome and me you heard last night then! We couldn't have been makin' any noises like that! You bothered us for nothing!" yelled Inuyasha.

Miroku and Sango stared at Inuyasha, as Kagome began to turn bright red.

"Inuyasha, you and your big mouth," Kagome thought to herself as she clenched her fists.

"So, you two, ahem…spent the night together I assume," smirked Miroku, with a mischievous grin on his face.

"It's not what you're thinkin' about, lecher," replied Inuyasha angrily with his fist in the air. He was still blushing.

"Your expression says differently," responded Miroku still smiling.

"Hey, maybe we should be worrying about what Koga told us. Like how two people could hear the same sounds from two far away places," Kagome anxiously suggested. She was desperate to change the subject.

"Kagome's right," added Sango. "We have more important things to worry about. Those sounds might have something to do with our new enemy."


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 10

"What a tiresome couple of days," sighed Tajira. She stood in front of her home, completely exhausted, her pink aura beginning to fade. "I need some rest," she muttered. Yet, before she could enter her home, a deep purple light flashed in front of her.

"Takeshi! It can't be," she said in bewilderment as her eyes met the man standing before her. He was young and handsome, with jet black hair and dark eyes. His robes were deep green, and quite elegant. He smiled at her, taking her hands into his before she could back away. Strange, crackling energy began to surround them. After the smoke had cleared, the man released Tajira and finally spoke.

"It's been far too long Tajira," he said slightly menacingly. "I see you're looking lovely as ever."

Tajira stared back at him in confusion. His presence was frightening, causing her to lose her usual confident demeanor. She lifted a hand to her face, feeling skin that was smooth and youthful. "How is this possible? Am I no longer pure spirit?" she thought. Tajira's confusion quickly turned to rage.

"What did you do to me?" she blurted out angrily.

"I returned your physical youth of course. You should be thanking me. I made you beautiful again." Indeed, she was quite beautiful. Her hair was no longer gray, but dark and silk-like. Her violet eyes glowed brightly. Even her clothing was rejuvenated. She now wore an elegant, pink silk kimono, with blue trimming.

"I have no desire to be young again," she replied coldly. "Nor do I have any desire to see you. What trouble have you caused?"

"Now, now, Tajira. What makes you think I'm causing trouble?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, for one thing you should probably be dead by now, or at least anciently old."

"I owe my youth and longevity to the help of a certain demon. By fusing with this demon I was able to retain my young appearance. I was also given the ability to absorb other creatures, even humans, and thus take their abilities as well."

Tajira stared at him with disgust. "He's the one," she thought. "He must have absorbed humans and demons with the time travel ability."

"Being who you are, I'm sure you know what I'm planning on doing."

"Traveling through time so recklessly is more dangerous than you know. You've already damaged the system. If you don't stop you're going to destroy reality. Everything will cease to exist, even you."

"So what! What have I got to lose? My entire existence has been miserable. If I am not able to distort reality successfully, at least I will have shed my misery on everyone else. And if I should succeed, than I will have everything I have ever wanted, including you. It's a win win situation, don't you agree?" He moved closer to Tajira clasping her hand in his. She quickly rejected him.

"You're insane…and you smell like heaven knows what. You can't see past your eyes. You couldn't even talk to me until you had made me young again. You don't even know what you want."

Takeshi lightly chuckled as he began to dissipate, his face still wearing a confident smirk. "I'll meet up with you later, my dear Tajira."

After he had left, Tajira stood with her fists clenched. "I didn't realize it was him. This changes everything." An image of Takeshi, wearing that same confident smirk, flashed before her mind's eye. "Damnit. I have no way of tracking him. He could be anywhere. What am I going to do?"

The sky was beginning to darken as Sesshomaru silently made his way along a small path. All that could be heard was the rhythmic sounds of footsteps and the gentle chirping of crickets. Jaken and Rin were following him as usual. The young Rin seemed to be the only one brave enough to break the silence.

"Lunch was so delicious!" said Rin as she skipped along. She was ecstatic to have finally found adequate food. Nothing in the world could remove the smile from her face. "Today was a perfect day, wasn't it Master Jaken?"

"Yes, just lovely," replied Jaken in an irritated voice. "Don't you ever shut up, girl? You've been skipping about all day. Isn't it your bed time?"

Before Rin could answer, a sudden strange noise caught everyone's attention. Sesshomaru stopped to listen, causing Jaken to walk right into his leg. Powerful explosions could be heard amidst muffled voices. There were strange crackling noises as well - they almost sounded like lightning.

"_Watch out behind you!"_

"_Cha!" _

"_Kagomeeee!" _

"Hmm…" thought Sesshomaru with his usual unemotional expression. "It almost sounds like Inuyasha, yet I cannot sense that he is near."

"What is that, Lord Sesshomaru?" asked Rin innocently.

"It sounded very strange. Some of the noises seemed like they were coming not too far from here," added Jaken.

"It's nothing," replied Sesshomaru as he promptly continued walking.

"Wait for me, Lord Sesshomaru!" called Rin.

"Wait mi lord!"


End file.
